Soil auger and method of manufacture

A method of forming an auger useable for creating an opening in the ground, including:

• forming a shaft having an outer surface of circular cross-section having as larger outer diameter at a head end than an inserted end and there is a continuous taper of the outer surface between the ends;
• forming a strip material into a helical shape having an inner wall with a larger inner diameter at one end than the other end and there is a continuous taper of the wall between the ends;
• passing the helically shaped material over the outer diameter of the shaft until a portion of the tapered inner wall of the helically shaped material abuts the outer tapered surface of the shaft;
• and
• fixing the helically shaped material to the shaft to form a tapered auger with helical fighting with a tapered outer shape from the head end to the inserted end;
• wherein the step of forming a rectangular strip material into a helix includes the following steps:
• fixing one end of the strip material to the spindle of a lathe, the lathe having a headstock end and a tailstock end, the spindle of the lathe rotated at a workable rate determined by the speed at which a helically shaped coil forming is to take places;
• and
• drawing the strip material in the direction away from the spindle along a portion of the length of and onto a mandrel located between the headstock end and the tailstock end of the lathe.